28 November 2012

"Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose of this weekly event is to spotlight a soon-to-be-released book that you are very much anticipating. "Waiting On" Wednesday will also give bloggers an opportunity to share ideas for our TBR lists.

Synopsis: Kira Walker has found the cure for RM, but the battle for the survival of humans and Partials is only just beginning. Kira has left East Meadow in a desperate search for clues as to who she is. That the Partials themselves hold the cure for RM in their blood cannot be a coincidence—it must be part of a larger plan, a plan that Kira knows she is a part of, a plan that could save both races. Her allies are Afa Demoux, an unhinged drifter and former employee of ParaGen, and Samm and Heron, the Partials who betrayed her and saved her life, the only ones who know her secret. But can she trust them?

Meanwhile, back on Long Island, what’s left of humanity is gearing up for war with the Partials, and Marcus knows his only hope is to delay them until Kira returns. But Kira’s journey will take her deep into the overgrown wasteland of postapocalyptic America, and they will both discover that their greatest enemy may be one they didn’t even know existed.

Synopsis: Gripping original stories of dystopian worlds from nine New York Times bestselling authors, edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong

The world is gone, destroyed by human, ecological, or supernatural causes. Survivors dodge chemical warfare and cruel gods; they travel the reaches of space and inhabit underground caverns. Their enemies are disease, corrupt corporations, and one another; their resources are few, and their courage is tested.

Powerful original dystopian tales from nine bestselling authors offer bleak insight, prophetic visions, and precious glimmers of light among the shards and ashes of a ruined world.

Fragments, oh how I need to read Fragments RIGHT NOW!! Partials was simply put, AMAZING! One of my favorite books. I am itching to see what happens next. And then Shards and Ashes... first, look at that cover. It's both eerie and beautiful. I love all the authors who participated in this anthology so it was a no-brainer that I can't wait to get my hands on it. What do YOU think of this weeks picks and what books are YOU looking forward to?*covers are always subject to change.

Synopsis: Twenty-three-year-old Emma Jane Hellsbane just found out she’s not human—or, at least, not only human. She’s half angel, too, and now Heaven’s got a job for her: round up all the Fallen angels and their red-skinned, horned devil-demon minions and boot their butts back into the abyss. Only problem? The demons and their Fallen masters fight back and they don’t fight fair.

Luckily for Emma, she can put a stop to the constant threat of having her head hacked off if she figures out which Fallen angel is her father—and then kill him before he kills her. Of course, in the meantime, she’ll have to avoid accidentally seducing her angelic mentor, help an old friend conquer his own Fallen sperm donor, and basically save the world from a cataclysmic divine smack down.

No one said being Heaven’s bounty hunter would be easy. But with a name like Hellsbane, Emma Jane was born for the job.

CHAPTER ONE (part 4)

“It’s
just Emma now, and we were never really friends. What’s with the sword?” Years
of dirty limericks incorporating Emma Jane Hellsbane had long ago made me drop
the middle name.

He glanced at me as he walked into
the waiting room. “Sorry. I had a lot of issues in high school.”

Who
didn’t?

He smiled, but it was just a smile,
not the heart-melting one he’d always used. This was his natural smile, warm
and easy. It lit his eyes and just barely dimpled his cheeks. He was all the
more attractive for it.

“Forget it,” I said. It was ancient
history. “What about the sword?”

His free hand holding his side,
Tommy grimaced as he eased himself onto one of my gram’s old Victorian sofas,
using his sword—hand on the hilt, point stabbing my floor—to steady himself. He
settled back, sighing, and propped the long weapon against the front of the
couch. Something thick and black edged the blade and covered the lower half to
the tip. When he finally pulled his hand from his side, it was covered in blood
and more of the black goo.

“Ohmygod, what happened?” I rushed
over to him. I couldn’t believe I’d been so caught up in the surprise of seeing
him, in my own girly brain-freeze, that I hadn’t even noticed the blood on his
T-shirt and jeans.

“I, uh, had an accident.” He
laughed, clearly weak. “Mom always told me not to play with knives.”

But when I knelt beside him and
lifted his torn shirt, I doubted any sort of knife would do that kind of
damage. “You look like you’ve been clawed.”

“Yeah?” he said, tipping his head,
trying to see the wound better. “Weird. Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have any
holy water lying around, would you?”

“What?”

“Right. Dumb question. Peroxide,
then?”

I looked closer. Three long, jagged
wounds tore through skin and muscle and wrapped from his belly to his back.
Like something big had tried to grab him and he’d slipped away. There wasn’t as
much blood as I would have expected. It’d already begun to clot, but the black
goo was bubbling along the edges and there were meaty parts bulging out.

“God, Tommy, these are deep. You
need stitches. We have to get you to a hospital.” I pushed to my feet—I had
some peroxide in the kitchen. I’m not real graceful with knives myself, so I’d
learned it was best to keep the stuff handy.

He let his shirt fall back over the
wounds, hissing when the cloth brushed his
body. “No hospital. It’s not that bad. Trust me, I heal fast.”

“Whatever. Just sit still.” I ran to
the kitchen, grabbed the brand new bottle of peroxide, a bowl, and some gauze, and
came back as fast as I could.

“Those aren’t cat scratches, Tommy,”
I said, snagging a pair of scissors from Gram’s china cabinet. “You might need
surgery. At the very least, you should be worried about infection. What’s that
black stuff?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told
you.”

“Try me.”

“It’s...it’s brimstone.”

“Brimstone? Brimstone’s black and
gooey?” I dumped the medical supplies on the coffee table and sat beside him on
the couch, reaching for the sword to move it out of the way.

Tommy lunged, moving so fast he’d
grabbed it before I could blink. “Don’t touch that.”

“Okay, sheesh.”

He laid the sword, still dripping
goo, across the coffee table I’d personally refinished. But I gritted my teeth
and kept my mouth shut. He was a guest and he was oozing guts, or something, so
I could let it slide.

“It’s not just brimstone,” he said.
“But that’s what’s making it bubble and burn.”

About the author:

Writing was never a foregone conclusion for me. I once had dreams of being a psychologist, a pediatrician, a school teacher, a photojournalist, a bartender, and/or an EMT. And then I met my husband and my world came into focus. Being wife and mother are my highest priorities and greatest joy. But escaping to the fanciful, sexy worlds twirling through my mind is an absolute necessity. Putting those worlds, and the cornucopia of characters that people them, on paper is just plain fun.

Paige lives in Ohio, with her husband, three daughters, three dogs, three cats, a parakeet and a bearded dragon named Rexy, in an ever shrinking house. When she’s not writing she can be found doing the mom thing with a book in one hand and a notepad and pen in the other. Ideas come without warning and the best way to stimulate your imagination is to enjoy the imagination of someone else.

Emma Jane Hellsbane knows something evil is worming its way through her college campus—she can feel it. Literally. Her freakish ability to feel other people’s emotions as though they were her own has always been monumentally awkward, and it’s easier for her to just pretend it doesn’t exist. But this time her paranormal ability just might help her save lives.

Emma Jane’s fairly certain that whatever the hateful, egomaniacal, Godlike thing is, it’s set up shop inside her boyfriend, the frat boy/soccer star Justin. And if she doesn’t figure a way to get it out of him soon, Justin’s soul will be the appetizer to the main course—the whole student body. Problem is, the big baddy is granting sinister wishes, and with each one the risks grow higher and the phrase Be careful what you wish for becomes a real-life dire warning. Of course for Emma, what feels like it could be the end is in fact just the beginning…

Rules & How to enter:You MUST be at least 13 years old.Please fill out the easy form to enter. Name & Email address is a free entry, just click to enter!This giveaway is open INTERNATIONAL!Giveaway ends: December 13th, 2012

Synopsis: Evangeline finally got what she longed for—the cursed pendant off her neck and Caden in her arms—only it came at a steep price. An unknown poison now courses through her body, slowly morphing her into something no one but the Fates can foresee.She has her suspicions, though...and if she is right, it will spell certain ruin for her and Caden. But she won’t last long enough to realize that, if Viggo and Mortimer uncover the treasonous secrets she keeps from them– that Veronique, no longer entombed, is now in the torturous clutches of the witches and the People’s Sentinel, or that she is protecting a Sentinel within their very midst.

Always the naive human caught in the vampires’ web of deceit, Evangeline is now weaving her own dangerous web so she can keep her friend alive, rescue Veronique, and stop a seemingly inevitable war from erupting. But can her honor handle the depths of duplicity to which she must descend, in order to be in league with the vampires?

Dark and gripping, riddled with angst, Allegiance will have readers anxiously turning pages to find out if Evangeline can survive, or if she’ll spiral into disaster.

This OR That

This or That for Evangeline:

Earth or Ratheus? Anywhere where Caden is, though it'd be nice to stay in one worldPendant or No Pendant? What does it matter? Either way, I'm screwed!Viggo or Mortimer? Mortimer, for sure. He puts on a big act but after he saved me from Rachel, I know he won't hurt me… right?Halloween or Christmas? I haven't celebrated either in so long... but I'd have to say Christmas. Just because.Past, Present or Future? Present, as long as "present" is with Caden. I have no idea what the future brings but it doesn't look good right now.Day or Night? Night, except for when I don't know where I'm going to wake up.Coffee or Hot Chocolate? Leo always brought me coffee… *sighs*Butterfly or Eskimo Kisses? Eskimo… my mouth is that much closer to Caden's.

This or That for Caden:

Earth or Ratheus? Anywhere Evangeline is, but Earth is tough. It's too hard not to fall back into old patterns.Pendant or No Pendant? Damn, that stupid pendant. Either way, if I bite her I'm dead so it doesn't matter to me.Past, Present or Future? Anywhere with EvangelineDay or Night? Day. Hunting in the daylight is conspicuous and that keeps me in lineAnimal or Human? Animal. There's less guilt when I feed off of themWitches or Werewolves? Can't stand either of them but if I had to choose, I'd say werewolves. They leave me alone.Withholding the truth to save someone or Being honest and dealing with the outcome? I'd love to go the honest route but we all know that's not how my kind works…Butterfly or Eskimo Kisses? What? *chuckles* I may not be human but I'm still a guy...

This or that for Kathleen:

Cake or Pie? A cake that tastes like a pie? A pie that tastes like a cake? You decide… I sure can't.Day or Night? Early evening (I'm difficult, I know)Vampires or Witches? Definitely vampires. Witches get a little bit…witchy (with a capital B)Viggo or Mortimer? Mortimer. Dark, brooding, but deep down, kind.Halloween or Christmas? Christmas. A months of cookies and parties before a giant turkey dinner and presents!Horror or Suspense? Suspense. I can't deal with horror. My imagination is too haywire. I wake up screaming (True story. Ask my husband).Coffee or Tea? Coffee in the A.M. Tea in the evening (wakes me up so I can write in the evenings)The Vampire Diaries or The Walking Dead? Damn! TVD for the eye candy, TWD for the 'freak me out' scenes. Sorry, this is an AND, not an OR!

Kathleen, thanks for the visit and for hanging out on my blog again. And please pass my thank yous on to Evangeline and Caden for taking the time to answer the This or That questions for us. All of you are welcome to drop in again anytime!

Thanks for having me here today! And thanks for your continued support behind this series. You've been with me through all three books, Lisa!

About the author:

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

The event runs for five consecutive days, the last week of the year. Five days of some of our favorite lists and we invite ALL of YOU to join in on the fun and share your lists with everyone too!

Each day of the event we hope you'll visit one of the hosting blogs and share your list with the Linky that will be provided. Just be sure you follow which lists goes on which day. Speaking of... here's what we're doing for this years event -

Monday, December 24th - Best Books I've Read in 2012 (Doesn't have to be released in 2012, just a book you've read in 2012)Tuesday, December 25th - Best Book Covers of 2012 (MUST be a book released in 2012. Would be best if it's a book you've READ in 2012, but it's not required)Wednesday, December 26th - Best ________ Of 2012 (Readers/Bloggers choice. Please fill in the blank with ONE of these topics - Villains, Contemporaries, Dual POV's, Novellas, Adult titles, New Adult titles, Love Triangles, Couples, Bad Boys or Debuts. REMEMBER - this list MUST be from books you've READ in 2012)Thursday, December 27th - Best Book Boyfriends of 2012 (MUST be from a book released in 2012 and from a book you've READ in 2012)Friday, December 28th - Top 10 Books I'm looking forward to in 2013. (This list should be comprised of books released ONLY in 2013)

How you do these posts/lists is totally up to you. What books, covers and characters you pick are all your own.

The only rules to follow are posting the topics on the dates we've provided.

Now, I know what you're all thinking. That this will be hard to keep to 10. Some of you might like to break the lists up a bit. Working with a Top 10 for YA books and then a Top 10 for Adult titles. Feel free to add honorable mentions if you're also having a hard time sticking to 10. However, with the honorable mentions, please try to keep it to a minimum or it kind of defeats the whole purpose of things.

Our main focus of this event is for YOU to join in and share your lists with us all and for everyone to visit each others blogs' and see what books have made it on THEIR lists.

The event is simple. Follow the dates and list topics as provided and fill out the linky below. This gives us an idea who will be joining us for the Top 10 week. THEN, be sure to come back to one of our blogs on each of the five days and link up your post for that specific day! Just remember, each day will have a linky for THAT Top 10 topic.

Also, you don't want to miss a day during the event. We just might have some giveaways up our sleeves and joining in the event, keeping up with our and everyone lists just might help you enter to win! Additional giveaway details to follow, so keep checking back to find out what we're giving away and when!

And don't forget to snag our button and to help spread the word for the event. We'd love to have anyone and everyone join us this year. The more the merrier!

NOTE: this is the SAME Linky on each of the Co-Hosts Blogs, so please only enter your Name, Blog Name and URL on one blog. Thanks!

Be sure to take the button provided for the event and display it on your blog and link it back to this post so anyone who wants to find out more info about the event easily knows how to find us.

We hope everyone who reads this will be as excited for this event as we are and we can't wait to check out all of your lists!

22 November 2012

I'm thankful for many people and things. With everything that happens in life - through the good and the bad - I'm always thankful for the family and friends who stick by me. It's not just during Thanksgiving that I remember them, but throughout the whole year. As it should be. Being thankful for those people just once a year isn't enough to show and share how much they mean to me, so I make sure to remind them as much and as often as I can.

Along with those people close to me in "real life" I'm thankful for, I'm also thankful for each and everyone of you, who make blogging that much more sweet. I appreciate you, near and far.

To all who celebrate Thanksgiving, I wish you all a wonderful day filled with amazing food, family, friends and if you're traveling please be careful during this busy time of the year.

21 November 2012

"Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose of this weekly event is to spotlight a soon-to-be-released book that you are very much anticipating. "Waiting On" Wednesday will also give bloggers an opportunity to share ideas for our TBR lists.

Synopsis: The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.

For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn’t there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.

With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life—and it’s up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again.

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

First off, these books have some pretty covers. Don't you all agree? The first title... a murder mystery and a boy with the name of Finny Boone. Two pluses there. The second, getting a chance to see into the future? Two boys to choose from and another murder mystery. YES PLEASE! Anyone else happen to agree with me?

Synopsis: My name is Beatrice. When I was born, I was blessed with the Sight. I was immediately removed from my parents and enrolled in the Institution. At the age of twelve, I had my first true vision, earning my raven’s wings. And when I turned seventeen, one of my visions came true. Things haven’t been the same since.

The Institution depends on me to keep the City safe from our enemy, the Dreamcatchers, but I’m finding it harder to do while keeping a secret from everyone, including my best friend Gabe. It is a secret that could put us all in danger. A secret that could kill me and everyone close to me.

But the enemy has been coming to me in my dreams, and I think I’m falling in love with him. He says they’re coming. He says they’re angry. And I think I've already helped them win.

Review: 3 Stars - Luminosity is the first installment in the Raven Chronicles
by author Stephanie Thomas. Set in a dystopian world of enemies - Seers and Dreamcatchers – are fighting for
survival. One out to protect the Citizens and one dependent on them to stop
their demise, Thomas has created a vast world with many mysteries that are only
touched upon in the beginning of a new series.

Bea is a Seers. She was taken away from her parents at
birth due to her violet eyes. Eyes that forever marked her and others like her
as a Seer. Someone who gets visions of the future – sometimes clear and
sometimes not. Bea just happens to be one who has very clear visions and it
turns out to be both a good and bad thing. She lives in the Institution with
other Seers from birth to help hone her visions and to help protect the
Citizens in the village outside of the Institution. She has friends she can
count on and she really finds she needs them when things change and the war
finally begins.

The Keeper is a prominent character in the story, being
that when one of Seers has a vision she is there to document what was seen and
then interpret it. Which threw up many red flags for me. How can ONE person be
responsible for this in a place filled with 100’s of kids and teens who are
Seers and also, how is it that only ONE person is set to interpret said
visions? Talk about blind faith and evil through and through.

The good and the bad about this one is the fact that it didn't feel like we learned much about the Seers OR the Dreamcatchers. I found
myself confused along the way as to what was going on. Often this is what sells
a book for me. One that keeps me guessing right through to the very end.
However at the end I understand things better than I did at the beginning,
which wasn't quite the case with Luminosity. See, this is what’s good and bad
for me. I would have liked a little bit better understanding as to what the
heck was going on! I was still confused right at the end.

However, the good in that is… while I only gave this
title 3 stars, I still am ready to read more because I’m wanting to find out
just who these Seers and Dreamcatchers REALLY are. I knew at the end that
throughout this title that we were only catching a glimpse of what’s to come.

Okay, so I’ve been mentioning these Dreamcatchers a bit
so I should touch on them in this review. From the bit we’ve learned so far,
they are able to invade people’s dreams and use Citizens for, well, read the
book to find out that bit of info. The Seers and Dreamcatchers have a history
that’s only touched upon and I would have loved to have understand more of
their pasts. Echo is a Dreamcatcher who’s as mysterious as much of this book.
He gives Bea very cryptic messages of the future, which that in and of itself
made me question a few things. With the introduction of Echo we were given an
instant love triangle with Bea’s best friend Gabe. It was an interesting
triangle to stay the least. Again, read the book to find out what I’m talking about.

One thing I did really enjoy was the snippets of what we
did learn about the history of this world that Thomas has created and that of
her characters. It was vastly different from anything that I've ever read
before which is another massive plus for this one.

All in all, I loved how different it was and highly
enjoyed the history that was sprinkled here and there giving us a taste of what’s
to come in future installments. The characters were equally as mysterious as
was much of the rest of the book. And I do highly enjoy a good mystery. While
this title wasn't a 5 star read it’s not to say that I didn't enjoy what I
read. I DID like it and would recommend this one for those readers out there
who love a dystopian and are always eager to read a title that’s different
through and through. Looking forward to seeing what happens next after that
ending and I’m sure you will too! Enjoy.

About Stephanie:

Stephanie Thomas has been writing ever since she could put letters together to form words. When she was a small child, she would present her mother and father with self-made newspapers filled up with make believe stories and pictures. Her love for writing followed her all throughout her schooling, where she entered and won writing contests of all sorts. Stephanie decided to become an English teacher and completed her B.A. at The Pennsylvania State University. While teaching, she later went on to get her Master’s in writing from The Johns Hopkins University. She completed her very first manuscript during her graduate studies, and by the end of the program, she had completed two more. Stephanie is quick to tell anyone that she’s a born and raised Philadelphian, and her heart will always belong there. She moved to Baltimore with her husband, and they’ve been living there for the last five years with their doggie, Sailor, and their rabbit, Buns (aka “T Sizzle).

Scarlet remembers. Everything. Her past lives, Tristan, Gabriel, Nate: she remembers it all--including how to get to the
Fountain of Youth. But time
is running out.

Heather
and Gabriel have been kidnapped by Raven, while the curse that has plagued Scarlet and Tristan for
centuries has shifted, putting the star-crossed lovers in more danger than ever before. Water from the Fountain of Youth is the only thing that can save
Scarlet and her loved ones. But the water comes at a price.

With lives--and
hearts--at stake, Scarlet leads her friends on a
dangerous journey to the Fountain of Youth. Where eternal life is
possible, but death is certain.

HOLY HOT Covers!!! The Avow cover fits the book PERFECTLY!!! Well, at least in my opinion it does after that ending in Awry. LOVE all three of these covers and the first two books. I'm SO excited to read AVOW and everyone else should be too! If you haven't read the first two books you have NO clue what you're missing. Amazing story, characters, strong female lead character, rich history and two brothers.... *swoon* So get on to reading if you haven't to catch up before AVOW comes out! You can thank me later.

16 November 2012

I was never supposed to be a rock star. I had my life all planned out for me. Play football in college. Go to the NFL. Marry my high school sweetheart and live happily ever after.

I broke both our hearts that day when I told her I was leaving. I was young. I made the right decision for me, but the wrong decision for us. I’ve poured my soul into my music, but I’ve never forgotten her. Her smell, her smile.

And now I’m going back.

After ten years.

I hope I can explain that after all this time.

I still want her to be my forever girl.

Can I just say... HOLY HOTNESS with this one. Cover and all... WOW! It's a MUST read for me. I need it now!!!

My grandma once told me that I can do anything I want, so I am.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, I now live in picturesque Vermont, with my husband and two daughters. Also renting space in our home is an overhyper Beagle/Jack Russell and two Parakeets.

During the day you'll find me behind a desk talking about Land Use. At night, I'm writing one of the many stories I plan to release or sitting courtside during either daughter's basketball games.

I'm also an active reviewer on The Readiacs - a site I own with my best friend and uber special beta, Yvette.

Synopsis: It seemed so simple: Defeat the Tonton, rescue her kidnapped brother, Lugh, and then order would be restored to Saba’s world. Simplicity, however, has proved to be elusive. Now, Saba and her family travel west, headed for a better life and a longed-for reunion with Jack. But the fight for Lugh’s freedom has unleashed a new power in the dust lands, and a formidable new enemy is on the rise.

What is the truth about Jack? And how far will Saba go to get what she wants? In this much-anticipated follow-up to the riveting Blood Red Road, a fierce heroine finds herself at the crossroads of danger and destiny, betrayal and passion.

Synopsis: Mira is shocked when she receives a postcard from her missing mother from Paris. Her father decides it's time for a trip to France to search for her. While visiting Notre Dame, Mira touches a gargoyle and is whirled into the past. There she meets the famous painter Degas and catches a brief, shocking glimpse of her mother. Mira begins to suspect that her mom didn't run out on them but is a prisoner of the past. Can one family on an incredible worldwide adventure stop a plot in time?

Guest Post:

Around the WorldI've lived in Paris and Rome, each a wonderful experience. Living in a foreign city broadens your sense of who you are and how you want to live in ways that are delightfully unpredictable. In both cities, I explored the cultural riches in a way you can't during a brief visit, but more than that, I learned the rhythm of a different lifestyle. There's no such thing as rushing in Rome, no sense of urgency – or, frustratingly – of efficiency. You learn the Italian shrug of acceptance.

Travel in general demands that kind of flexibility. Planes are delayed. Connections are missed. A drive into the Amazon jungle that was supposed to take five hours ends up taking ten because roads have been washed out. But being open to what happens during travel mishaps means you end up having tea with Bedouins in Petra or are invited into a house-raising for a newly married couple in Vietnam. I love the expected parts of travel, the amazing sites, the great art, but I also love the completely unplanned, the moment you have to be open to in order to experience it.

I've been to more than 30 countries. The ones that have been the most difficult, have also been the most rewarding – India, Peru, Vietnam, Jordan, Egypt. I hope I can keep adding to this list. I'd love to see Indonesia, South Africa, Namibia, anywhere new. But the place I keep going back to, the city that has my heart, is Rome. Must be the gelato.

What's Past is PrologueMira's Diary gives me a chance to play with history in an immediate way, by placing a contemporary character into an interesting time period. The first book takes place in Paris because I wanted to spend time with the Impressionist painters, in particular my favorite, Degas.

I started by reading as much as I could about Degas to see where I wanted to go and that’s how I stumbled on the story that became the backbone for the book, the trial for treason of Captain Dreyfus.

At the time, it was a huge political scandal, and once I started doing research, I found out all kinds of amazing things, from secret disguises to invented files, the kind of thing you would think a writer of thrillers would invent. Only these things really happened.

One thing that became a big part of the plot was the role played by Emile Zola. A very successful writer, Zola had won prestigious awards and was like the Steven King of his day. Mira has to convince Zola to risk his reputation – and it turns out his life – to stand up for justice, to right the horrible wrong done to Dreyfus. The theme of the book, and, beyond that of the series, is intolerance and justice. In each book Mira wrestles with how to do the right thing, how to fight prejudice and narrow-mindedness by changing key events in the past. If she doesn't, she risks her own future.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose of this weekly event is to spotlight a soon-to-be-released book that you are very much anticipating. "Waiting On" Wednesday will also give bloggers an opportunity to share ideas for our TBR lists.

Synopsis: A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?

Synopsis: After stabbing and killing her boyfriend, sixteen-year-old Mallory, who has no memory of the event, is sent away to a boarding school to escape the gossip and threats, but someone or something is following her.

Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author Patrick Carman, a teen fantasy-adventure of epic proportions. In 2051, some teens have a “pulse,” the power to move objects with their minds. Compulsively readable, with thrilling action scenes and a tender love story.

The year is 2051, and the world is still recognizable. With the help of her mysterious classmate Dylan Gilmore, Faith Daniels discovers that she can move objects with her mind. This telekinetic ability is called a “pulse,” and Dylan has the talent, too.

In riveting action scenes, Faith demonstrates her ability to use her pulse against a group of telekinesis masters so powerful they will flatten their enemies by uprooting street lights, moving boulders, and changing the course of a hurtling hammer so that it becomes a deadly weapon. But even with great talent, the mind—and the heart—can be difficult to control. If Faith wants to join forces with Dylan and save the world, she’ll have to harness the power of both.

Patrick Carman’s Pulse trilogy is a stunning, action-filled triumph about the power of the mind—and the power of love.

First, I need to mention the covers for this weeks three picks. Each is amazing and so different from the next one. I love them each and think that they say a lot. Without a doubt these are must reads - from haunted houses, to no memory of killing your boyfriend to a fantasy-adventure set in 2051... yes please! What do you guys think of this weeks picks?

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Hi, I’m Lisa and I'm a proud bibliophile.

I enjoy reading and reviewing a variety of different books within the Young Adult, "New Adult" & Adult genres/categories. If you have any questions or if you are an author or publisher and would be interested in promoting a book, please feel free email. You can find my email under the "mail" button or under the contact link at the top of the page.

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